Comments on: Live Blogging the 2011 Amateur Draft — Sugano to HAM; Fujioka to LOT; Nomura to HIRhttp://yakyubaka.com/2011/10/27/live-blogging-the-2011-amateur-draft/
Japanese Yakyu NewsFri, 29 Apr 2016 22:15:26 +0000hourly1By: Deannahttp://yakyubaka.com/2011/10/27/live-blogging-the-2011-amateur-draft/#comment-144254
Fri, 28 Oct 2011 03:20:07 +0000http://yakyubaka.com/?p=59904#comment-144254Felipe Natel can’t “enter” the draft exactly because he’s in the industrial leagues. Any team can just draft him once he becomes eligible based on service time. (High school and college players have to submit letters of intent.)

It’s not too surprising Nomura was only selected by the Carp. He wanted to go home to Hiroshima, they wanted him, and really, Nomura’s not actually a power pitcher like Sugano. Fujioka’s a bigger value because he’s a lefty and taller than Nomura and throws faster. Anyway, a team might not want to waste their first round pick on someone they know will go to lottery, if they don’t have a distinct need for that exact player. (Note the Hawks the last few years, after winning Ohba and losing Ohta they’ve gone on unique picks.) I liked Seibu picking Togame outright; if they had gone into a lottery for one of the “big 3”, they may have also lost Togame in the next lottery as well.

Reuniting Habu and Nomura was also a cute move by the Carp, but it should work out well for them.